It doesn’t get much hotter than the EGG cookin’ in July! Make sure to keep yourself hydrated with a bit of whatever you’re using for the Beer Can Chicken. Ice Cream Sandwiches are also a great way to stay cool. Looking for some great ideas for a summer cook out? Try out a Pimento Cheeseburger or Dr. BBQ’s Spare Rib Surprise. Just don’t be surprised if your neighbors stop by for a quick bite when they smell what you’re cooking!

SELL NOW?

My girlfriend just said "everything that's cooked on the egg, chicken, burgers, brats...tastes smoked. Can we have a regular unsmoked burger!" It's the normal Green Egg lump charcoal. After this big investment, I was speechless! Do I just sell it now, or are their ideas out there. I LOVE IT. HELL, I didn't even attempt a Brisket yet! Grrrrr

no no no... how long do you let your fire burn before you add meat? and at what temp does it cook before you at meat?

You have to let the smoke clear out and you can see the color change once it get right. Also if you hold your hand over the chimney for a second or two, you can smell your hand and tell the difference between ready or not. lastly, if this doesnt fix your problem (im 99% sure it will) then try another brand of lump.

Go to firecraft.com and order you a bag of Rockwood lump and problem solved. My wife is not a big smoke eater either mainly when it comes to veggies and mushrooms are the worst After switching to Rockwood no complaints so the lump either fixed the problem or she gave up. Knowing my wife I say the prob got fixed.

Big Green Egg lump (aka Royal Oak) can be a smoky lump for some. I have always used Royal Oak up until getting my hand on a half pallet of Ozark Oak. What a difference! Very clean smoke and very little waiting before the bad smoke clears. Try switching to Ozark Oak or Rockwood for a bag or two. You and your wife will be happy with the switch.

Burn a load so that the dome temp is at least 450-500º. Hold it for about 30 minutes then snuff it out. Next day relight that lump, there are no VOCs so you should have clean smoke almost right away. Wait 20 minutes until you get a stable 400º. Do some burgers raised direct at 400º. Bet the smoke taste is gone. BTW, try a leaner burger mix so the dripping juice will not be a factor.

Burn a load so that the dome temp is at least 450-500º. Hold it for about 30 minutes then snuff it out. Next day relight that lump, there are no VOCs so you should have clean smoke almost right away. Wait 20 minutes until you get a stable 400º. Do some burgers raised direct at 400º. Bet the smoke taste is gone. BTW, try a leaner burger mix so the dripping juice will not be a factor.

Great things to do. I look 've using leftover Lump. Clear smoke right away.

I brought this issue up at the Firehouse as well, hmmm a lot of the same comments! I think I'll still keep her around. BUT, thanks to the responses here, I'll keep my baby too (my BGE)!

I fill my Egg to the lower part of the Ring? Enough?

I have been cooking as soon as temp is reached...What is the average time for clean smoke?

What is "raised direct"?

I'll also be checking firecraft.com for Rockwood

Thanks friends!

Time to clear smoke depends on the brand of lump and whether there is grease or wood in there from previous cooks. Skiddy's idea works. If you have a really smoky brand of lump you could be an hour to get it clear. With Royal Oak or BGE brand it usually takes me half an hour on a 350* plus cook. I use maple leaf lump and it's ready when its hot enough.

You can also check http://www.ozarkspa.com, they are our other online dealer. The shipping is what eats you alive on charcoal.

If you can get enough guys together at the firehouse, I can ship pallet that way. Being from an EMS background, I'm always willing to help my brothers. I'm taking 10 bags to a buddy at the firehouse tonight for a big BBQ tomorrow.

In any case, you'll be please with Rockwood--very little smokey flavor. Use your own smoking woods to control the flavor and intensity. I only like the smoke flavor in certain foods--mainly pork, sometimes beef. I don't care for it much in poultry, fish, veggies, etc--so that why I make my charcoal the way I do.

I brought this issue up at the Firehouse as well, hmmm a lot of the same comments! I think I'll still keep her around. BUT, thanks to the responses here, I'll keep my baby too (my BGE)!

I fill my Egg to the lower part of the Ring? Enough?

I have been cooking as soon as temp is reached...What is the average time for clean smoke?

What is "raised direct"?

I'll also be checking firecraft.com for Rockwood

Thanks friends!

If you have been throwing the food on as soon as it reaches temp then you may solve the issue simply by waiting longer. Once it reaches temp give it 15-30 minutes to stabilize and burn clean. There should be little to no visible white smoke when you put on the food. Hold your hand over the top of the egg and smell it. If it smells good- the food will taste good. If it smells like a camp fire, it will taste that way .

Raised Direct means to raise the grid. You can use fire bricks, build a raised grid, or purchase accessories. It just gets the meat a little further from the grid. Another way to accomplish this is to use a smaller batch of lump.

Which came first the chicken or the egg? I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg.

I brought this issue up at the Firehouse as well, hmmm a lot of the same comments! I think I'll still keep her around. BUT, thanks to the responses here, I'll keep my baby too (my BGE)!

I fill my Egg to the lower part of the Ring? Enough?

I have been cooking as soon as temp is reached...What is the average time for clean smoke?

What is "raised direct"?

I'll also be checking firecraft.com for Rockwood

Thanks friends!

If you have been throwing the food on as soon as it reaches temp then you may solve the issue simply by waiting longer. Once it reaches temp give it 15-30 minutes to stabilize and burn clean. There should be little to no visible white smoke when you put on the food. Hold your hand over the top of the egg and smell it. If it smells good- the food will taste good. If it smells like a camp fire, it will taste that way .

Raised Direct means to raise the grid. You can use fire bricks, build a raised grid, or purchase accessories. It just gets the meat a little further from the grid. Another way to accomplish this is to use a smaller batch of lump.

Good advice on the raised direct, get the cooking grid at the felt line works best IMO. If burgers are a foot above the burning lump, any drips will result in smoke that will have a chance to spread out a bit before exiting the dome. The closer the food is to the lump, the more intense the effect of burning fat smoke on the food.

For super tatsers (Maybe your GF and for sure my SWMBO) I used the second burn method to make the already neutral lump more neutral. Once she "acquired" the taste of a Kamado cooked meal all has been good.

another option is buying a second grid and a trip to the hardware store:

There is no single answer to how full the egg needs to be, except if you plan to do a long cook (e.g. 12+ hours) when it needs to be full to minimize the risk of the fire going out.

I rarely fill the fire box in my XL for simple cooks like burgers or chicken; half full is just fine. Others keep the fire box full. I also use a chimney to start my coals. I fill new coals in it and that gets the new coals red hot, which generally gets rid of any odors. I dump that into the egg with the coals left over from the prior cook.

I'm the only Green Egger at my firehouse. They're all "weber heads". I can't wait until I figure my egg out, and knock their Bunkers off, HA!

Our charcoal works in everything.......I'm a BGE guy so I make it to my liking, but it runs great in my Rebel gravity feed vertical smoker and everything else I've used. If nothing else, just get them off the briquettes. It doesn't matter if it's our lump or anyone else's it's better than briquettes.